Drawing a crowd has never been that much of a problem around here. As the suburbs often boast a buffet of boredom for modern inhabitants, simple recreations often suffice for the common person. The music and art communities have caught many long-time contributors as the faces have flowed through the North Penn area. People see, people take interest and ideally, people care. Gazing leads to appreciating and giving back becomes the sustainable, metamorphic process of a movement. This is the nature of any grassroots idea. That is not lost on the vibe here, and I assure you: That is a good thing. This lineage is a recognizable entity and a beloved topic of conversation to those who have ridden that storm.
These times are changing it would seem. The natural order of things as we know it appears to be failing to prove itself timeless. As much as we would like to believe the same things are going to be around, perhaps they are simply not. The music is still in the air and the art is still being churned out throughout the land. As previously stated, getting a crowd here is easy. So where is the problem and what is the issue? The problem is getting a younger crowd. The issue is that this is not as easy as it used to be.
In the long-forgotten days of yesteryear, many tactics have been employed to quell this predicament. Hanging-up fliers in North Penn High School in the late 90’s/early 2000’s was frowned upon, but nobody really got in trouble for it. Before security became what it is today, even non-students were able to do this without much issue. Those times ended years ago and new tactics came out. Parents were encouraged to come to shows with their kids for free. Not only as a sign of good faith, but also to show that we were—for the most part—not devil-worshipping gang members, dead set on ruining their kid’s future. These measures were seldom met with failure. Eventually, even reduced door cost was offered to entice the younger crowd. All of these tides drew back and we seemed to be left with many of the same faces. Like seafoam stuck to dead horseshoe crabs and kelp, we have been in need of a rising tide for some time.
So here we are: September 2018. School just got back in, the pools are shutting down after last weekend. Getting anyone’s opinion on the new Eminem record is all anybody cares about as I type this, but they will soon be on to the next hot topic of the week. Would it not be great if the next thing the youth got excited for was not a total blow to our souls as humans? Would it not be amazing to be able to have a random, positive surprise grace our presence in our little slice of heaven/Montgomery County? That sure would be lovely. Additionally, in the nowhere-close-to-immortal words of the youth: We got you, fam.
This Saturday, a show will be hosted in North Wales that is FREE to anyone under the age of 18. This show is the remarkable product of local promotors Justin Rehfuss and Derek Calhoun. While Rehfuss originally booked this show in Lansdale, the venue canceled after realizing the date coincided with Bike Night. Calhoun, a scene veteran whose support knows no bounds, was able to relocate the show to his venue, the North Penn Social Club. Local favorites Through Neighborhoods, Andross and Merit will be playing with out of town friends Post Season and Goalkeeper. While this is still $10 for anybody that is legally allowed to buy tobacco, the venue has a bar and kitchen with very reasonably-priced options. The location of downtown North Wales makes for an excellent spot to catch a gig. A brief walk from the train station, the venue is minutes from several options for food and fun before and after the show. Doors are at 7 p.m. and the show should be over by 11 p.m.
If you find yourself reading this, do more than skip this opportunity over. Do better than thinking “Well that’s great that it is free for kids!” just before you forget about it while arguing with your out-of-touch uncle on Facebook. Be greater than letting the work and mental preparation to organize such things go to waste. Tell your niece. Mention it to your neighbor. Bring it up in line at the store when you see a kid with dead eyes that you know is searching for any way at all to return to the bliss of summer. You may just save that kid from whatever it is we are doing to them. If we can pry the life-fearing eyes of the youth away from their phones just this weekend, maybe generating some new blood around here will be a surmountable task.
See also:
The Arts, the Underground and Everything in Between
